Around Every Corner
by LauraLightwoodHerondale
Summary: Jace helps Clary by getting her out of the illegal fights that Jace participates in. They talk and find out who the other really is to them. What happens when someone kidnaps their families? Will they help each other out? Remember, there is danger around every corner. Its better than it sounds, I hope. AH (Clace, Malec, no Sizzy, sorry) I do not own The Mortal Instruments
1. Chapter 1

**Around Every Corner**

_Chapter 1_

Taking one last gulp of fresh air, I followed my father into the grimy building. I sighed as I looked around. Everyone here was crowded around a small blue fighting ring that was placed in the middle of the room. Although, I'm here for the same reason, so I can't really judge. All of them were male and held bets in their hands like it was their life line. However, if they're here, it most probably is.

Inside the ring, there were two kids about my age, one with sleek black hair and the other had brown hair and glasses. I knew him from school, his name was Simon Lewis.

The black haired kid swung his fist out towards Simon's face and it connected with a sickening crack. Simon flew across the ring landing heavily on his back. He didn't make a move to stand back up.

A bell went off and a referee came into the ring and walked up to where the black haired kid was standing. He took him by the wrist and swung his arm in the air to indicate that he was the winner. The crowd went crazy, some of them cheering, some booing. The ref then slipped some money into the boys hand and they left the ring with Simon struggling to get back onto his feet.

I looked away and started to push through the crowds to find my father.

"Jace!" I heard from behind me. "Come over here, I've got someone who wants to meet you!"

I sighed and made my way back through the crowd again. After pushing past what felt like a thousand people, I arrived at where my dad was standing, with him were two guys.

One of them looked to be about my age with blonde, almost silver hair, and pitch black eyes. He had a tall and muscular frame and stood confidently, like he knew that he was better than everyone her. I scoffed under my breath.

The other one was older, around mid thirties, and also hand the silvery hair and strong frame. I guessed it was a family trait and they were father and son or something.

There was something about the two that made me feel uneasy...

"Jace," my father, Will, says, snapping me out of my inspection of the two. "This is Valentine Morgenstern," he says stretching his hand out to indicate the older guy. "And this is Sebastian Morgenstern, Valentine's son."

So I was right, as always, they are father and son.

Valentine reached out his hand to clasp one of mine in a firm grip. He shook it whist saying, "Nice to finally meet you, Jace. I've heard a lot of good thing about you from my... well, let's call them acquaintances."

"Of course you have." I replied, a smirk making its way onto my lips. "I am amazing. You know, I've never lost a fight. Some call me famous, but whatever." This only brought on a questioning look from Valentine and an irritated look from my father, telling me to cut the crap.

"Egotistical much," I heard someone scoff from beside me. I dropped my smirk and turned my head to the side to stare at Sebastian.

"Obviously, who wouldn't be if they looked like this?" I asked, indicating my face with a flick of my wrist, my smirk coming back into play. I knew I was attractive, golden hair, golden skin and tawny almost golden eyes. I had a lean and muscular frame, but that was to be suspected, considering I have to come here and fight every two weeks. Plus, there's the training I do every night after school form three hours straight. I am also 6ft 2. All these factors put together have left me very attractive, indeed. And I know it too.

I heard Sebastian mumble something under his breath in reply and watched as Valentine dug his elbow into his son's ribs. Sebastian groaned but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, we must get going. Looking forward to seeing you fight tonight, Jace." Valentine says, cutting through the silence that was starting to consume us all. "It was a pleasure to meet you," he added, almost as an afterthought. Although, there was something in his eyes that led me to believe that there was no pleasure involved.

I forced a smile onto my lips, hoping to seem sincere since these two were really putting me on edge now. "The pleasure was all mine, Mr Morgenstern."

My dad glanced at me from where he was standing at my side, seeing straight through my sincere act. I'm not surprised really; he knows me better than anyone and can tell when I'm acting. There's that and the fact that I never, never, speak to anyone so formally, under any circumstance.

"Sebastian." I say, inclining my head towards the boy at my other side.

He just huffs and storms off, seeing straight through my sincere act as well. _Damn, _I thought. _Am I really that bad of an actor?_ Although who am I kidding, I know I'm acting badly. I want them to see how much I really don't like them.

There's something about these two that has me constantly on edge and I can't quite seem to put my finger on it and its driving me crazy. Usually, I'm very good at picking out what I don't like about people. There's always something. Take my dad for instance. What I don't like about him is that he forces me to come and fight in these illegal fights just so he can win some cash. But, I put up with him because he took me in all those years ago when my real 'family' deserted me when I needed them the most.

Anyway, no need to get too sucked into the past right now, that's a story for another time and another place. Back to the present.

I watch as Sebastian walks away from us, silver hair bobbing in the distance, until he turns a corner and disappears completely.

Valentine sighs and then turns his head so he can look over his shoulder.

"Clarissa!" he barks. "Get over here now and stop wasting my time!"

A small red headed girl about my age, maybe a year or two younger, pops her head out from behind her father's back. My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline. Girls are not allowed into these places. Never. Valentine must know the owner.

Clarissa walks over to us wearily and stops next to Valentine. He looks at her with something like disgust in his eyes, but I can't tell why he would be disgusted. She's beautiful. Bright green emerald eyes, fire truck red hair that falls in waves down her back and freckles peppering over her nose. Her skin I very pale, almost porcelain, making her hair and eyes stand out even more. Her frame is small and delicate and she can't be much taller that 5ft 2.

Although when I look closer, I can see that her clothes are very dirty and ripped in places and she has very pronounced bags under her eyes. I can also see that she has little cuts, scrapes and bruises all the way down her body, or what I can see of it. Her arms are covered three quarters of the way down and her legs are covered by the jeans she wears. On her feet are a pair of green converse that look like they need to be thrown in the trash. I wonder what happened to her. I let my eyes wander back to her face and she that she is staring right at me, her mouth open a little.

Usually, I would plaster a smirk on my face and say something to make her blush, but there is something about this girl that makes her seem different to all of the others that have had the pleasure to be in my company over the years. I just stare back at her, an actual smile on my lips. _Where the hell did that come from? _I wonder to myself. No one has made me smile truthfully in years, no one except my real family could do that, but they crushed that when they abandoned me. My smile grows wider and I decide that I like her.

Valentine looks briefly back at me and my father again before following his son into the crowd, Clarissa in his wake. She looks like she's limping a bit.

I look back at my father.

"Better go and get ready, Jace. You're on any minute now." He says.

I nod and turn towards to changing rooms at the back of the room, a certain red head on my mind the whole time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thank you so much for reading the first chapter of my first story on FanFiction, it would mean so much to me if you took out a few minutes of your day to review my story so I can see what you guys think. I'm not sure if I should continue so it would really be based on if anyone reads this. Constructive criticism is welcome but not stupid comments. I already have a plot line set up for this story and I should be updating every week, but I'm not promising anything. I'm not sure if I should continue. Anyway, I will leave you to it. Thanks again for reading!<strong>

**~Mockingjay1011 **


	2. AN

**AN: Hey guys. I know you all probably hate me for not doing anything to this story since I first posted it but things have happened since then and honestly I forgot completely about this story. I feel ****_so _****bad. I've started writing the second chapter now and it should be up soon, hopefully by the end of the week. I completely understand if you want to gut me with a knife, but i hope this makes up for it a little. At least I'm not completely ditching the story. Anyway, I hope you don't hate me so much that you won't continue the story. Oh, by the way, as you may have noticed I have changed my name from Mockingjay1011 to LauraLightwoodHerondale, just so you know that its still me and not some random person. This AN is probably just annoying you even more so I shall go and finish the next chapter for you.**

**Au revoir, for now!**

**~LauraLightwoodHerondale**


	3. Chapter 2

**Around Every Corner**

_Chapter 2_

When I walk out of the changing rooms, my father is waiting for me, leaning against the wall. When he sees me he straightens up and clasps my shoulder with a calloused hand. He leads me over to the entrance of the ring.

"Change of plans, son. Your original opponent backed out al the last minute. My guess is he found out who was fighting him." He smirked. "Now, you're going to get in that ring and wait until someone challenges you. This way we get more money if you win."

I sighed. For him, it was always about the money. Never about if I was getting beaten to a pulp, which, admittedly, had never happened before, but still, there was always that possibility.

I started to make my way up to the ring. The ring was painted a dark blue that was peeling away with age. There were splashes of red on the floor, which was most defiantly not paint.

Once I stepped inside, everyone else started to crowd around.

"I challenge anyone here today that they cannot stay in the ring with my son for two minutes," shouted my father over the chatter of the crowd. "In fact, m so sure no one can do this, that I'm offering double money."

I whipped around to stare wide eyed at my father. He had never offered that much money before. Had never even discussed it with me. I started to sweat. I was sure I could do it, but the amount of money on the line was making me nervous, which I did not need to be a few minutes before a fight.

Distantly, I heard someone with a deep voice shouting, but it was drowned out by the surprise gasps of the crowd. People started to look around, looking for the person who was going to accept the challenge.

The shouting got louder and the crowd started to become quiet as they figured out who it was.

Valentine Morgenstern

He was storming up to the ring, dragging Clarissa behind him.

"I accept the challenge on behalf of my daughter." He bellows.

A deadly quiet passed over the crowd. It was then that I remembered hearing about a Valentine something or other owning this place. This must be him. That must be why Clarissa was allowed inside. And now, apparently, to fight.

She was stumbling behind Valentine, her upper arm locked in his vice-like grip. As she got closer, she started to panic. I had known from the second that Valentine volunteered her that she didn't want to fight. She probably couldn't even make a fist properly.

When Valentine got to the edge of the ring, he released his daughters arm and she fell into the ring, landing on her side.

She got up, wiping her hands on her top to get rid of the non-existent dirt. This place may be illegal and all, but it was kept clean.

She looked at me. She looked so innocent and fragile in this house of horrors. I knew I needed to help her get out of this.

The crowd started cheering. Bets were being placed by people with smug smiles on their pathetic faces. They could see the chances of me loosing and they weren't very big at all.

A bell rang and I laughed under my breath a little. They weren't really expecting me to fight her, were they?

I look around at the crowd, my gaze landing on my father. I raised my eyebrows a little. _You can't be serious..._

But he just screamed at me to make a move.

I look back at Clarissa. She was shaking now. Although she had her fists clenched to try and look unafraid. _So I was right,_ I thought to myself. _She doesn't know how to make a fist._

"Clarissa, right?" I ask her over the road of the crowd. If they didn't shut up, the police would be called and then, well, we'd all be screwed.

She looked taken aback by my question.

She shook her head slightly.

"Clary" she replies so quietly that I have to strain my ears to hear her. She has a voice to match her looks, you know, excluding the ratty clothes and scrapes. It was beautiful, like a pixies voice. "Clary Fray."

_Fray?_ I thought she was Valentine's daughter.

"Listen," I say, keeping my voice low enough so that only she can hear me. "I don't want to hurt you. In fact, I want to help you."

She didn't seem to believe me.

"I do," I say, trying to reassure her. "Really."

"Oh yeah," she replies. "And, just how do you plan to do that. In case you haven't noticed, were _kinda _surrounded." She says, stretching out her arms to indicate the masses of men surrounding us.

I sigh.

"I have a plan."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"What is it then?"

Damn, this girl is killing me.

She raises her eyebrows expectantly.

"Okay, fine. You got me. I have no plan. But just give me a second – "

I get cut off by the sounds of police sirens wailing through the building.

"_Shit..." _I curse under my breath.

We had to get out of here. _Now._

I look around to see everyone scattering. I scan the crowd of fleeing people for my father and see him running with everyone else.

"That _fucking bastard!"_

I knew he was bad, but I didn't think he would do this. He had my back when this happened last year, apparently he didn't give a flying toss anymore.

I face Clarissa – _Clary_ – again. She looks confused, as if she doesn't understand why everyone is running. She probably doesn't even know these things are illegal.

I grab her hand and run out of the ring without giving her an explanation. She comes willingly. I head for the door, grabbing my bag with all of my clothes inside. I throw the door open and chance a quick look behind me. The police are here. Some of them already have spectators pinned down on the floor, handcuffing them. None of them have seen us. Good.

I pull Clary out of the door and slam it shut behind us.

I throw her my bag and tell her stay here and look for my keys and to keep under cover while I look for the spare car the fucking bastard and I keep around here. She would just slow me down.

I sprint down the street, scanning for the car.

After about a minute of running I spot it. A black BMW M3 Frozen. It was what I brought from my share of the winnings that I save up for since I was twelve. The fucking bastard insisted that I keep it here for this situation. I guess he forgot. Luckily, I never did.

I looked around, making sure there was no one watching before I made my way back to Clary, walking this time.

I found her exactly where I left her, except she was trying to hide behind a bush. Her red hair gave her away though.

"Clary."

The bush rustled and Clary emerged, a leaf caught in her hair.

"Did you find the keys?"

I could still here the sirens, although there were less of them than when they first arrived.

She nodded her head.

"Come on then, I found the car." I turned to walk away and realised after a couple of steps that she wasn't following.

I stopped and turned my head to look at her over my shoulder.

"Clary? You coming?"

"I don't even know you."

"No. No you don't." I say turning back around to completely face her again. "But I'm your only chance of getting out of here without it being in the back of a police car."

"You could be an axe murderer or something." She says, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

I put my hand over my heart and say, "I, Jace Herondale, here by swear that I am not, never have been or never will be an axe murderer or anything remotely close."

She still didn't seem convinced.

I sighed and dropped my hand.

"Okay, if you still don't believe me, you can get a sniffer dog in to search my car or whatever you want to do to put that pretty little head of yours to rest." I say patting her head.

She swats my hand away and rolls her eyes but what I said must have put her at ease somewhat because she starts walking.

In the wrong direction.

I roll my eyes and jog to catch her up and change her direction so she is walking the right way.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey guys, like I said before, I'm so sorry for not updating but things came up and school things that made me completely forget about this. I promise to try and keep this story going and try to update every week or two. Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Till next time, au revoir!**

**~LauraLightwoodHerondale**

**(Links for Jace's car on my profile)**


	4. Chapter 3

**_KyKat: You will have to wait and see..._**

**_Mrs Jace-Wayland-Herondale: I know right! He's such a douche. I hated having to write that but I felt like it was such a Valentine thing to do so I had to put it in here. I haven't read that yet, and I've been lacking good stories too read lately having read most of them, so I will defiantly read that one, thanks!_**

******Around Every Corner**

_Chapter 3_

**Clary POV**

I followed this guy – Jace, I think he said his name was – to his car. He took his bag of me and rummaged around, looking for something. A few seconds later he pulled out a long blue sleeved shirt, jeans, a black jacket and boots.

We turned a corner and what I saw made me gawk a little. Jace's car was one of the nicest cars I had ever seen, or maybe it was just the lack of seeing nice things these past couple of weeks. Maybe it was really a just piece of junk, but by the way Jace smirked at me when he saw me staring told me otherwise.

"Here," he says, tossing me his keys. I nearly drop them but he doesn't seem to notice. "Unlock the car and just wait inside while I get changed. Or if you still want to you can go grab that sniffer dog of yours and see if you can find and murder weapons. Your choice. Whatever tickles your fancy."

I roll my eyes, unlock the car and slide into the passenger seat.

The car really is amazing, considering where I met Jace. Usually people who were at one of Valentines fight nights really needed the cash. This didn't seem to apply to Jace, but who was I to complain? This is my best chance of getting away from my father; the fact that we have a car is just a bonus.

Jace opens the driver's door, pulling me out of my thoughts before I get lost in them completely.

I look over at him and frown. There's something about him that seems familiar, but he doesn't seem to feel the same way so I decide to not say anything.

He looks at me and doesn't say anything. Maybe he does recognise me...

I open my mouth to say something about it to him but he cuts me off before I can even get the first letter out.

"You do know that to be able to drive a car, you need to have the keys and they need to be in the engine, right?"

I frown again before I realise that I'm still holding his keys in my hands. He holds out his own and I drop the keys in them.

"Thank you." he says in a sarcastic tone.

I ignore the sarcasm and turn to look out of the windscreen.

He pulls out of the alleyway we were parked in and drives onto the main road.

"So," I say. "Have you figured out your master plan yet?"

He glances at me out of the corner of his golden eyes and then focuses back on the road without saying a thing, telling me all I need to know about his plan. He doesn't have one.

"Please tell me you at least know where we're going? I hate not knowing where I'm going."

"We?" he questions. "There is no we. _You're_ going home, wherever you want that to be, and _I'm_ going to go and find my so-called-father and kick his ass for abandoning me back there."

I don't know why, but that hurt. I cross my arms over my chest and sink down in my seat a bit.

"Well?" he asks.

"Well, what?" I snap back at him.

"Well, where am I taking you?"

I think about my family, my real family; my mum, Luke. I think about my friends, Alec and Izzy. They must all be freaking out right now. Alec and Izzy are away in Florida right now, but my mother and Luke would have no doubt told them that I was missing. Then there was their parents, Maryse and Robert Lightwood and also their little brother Max. They would probably know now. My mother and Luke would have also told our neighbours, Stephen and Celine Herondale. Man, that's a lot of people I'm going to have to explain things to when I got back.

Wait a minute...

I sit up in my seat again.

Stephen and Celine Herondale.

Didn't Jace say his last name was Herondale?

_Oh my God, _I thought. _Is it him? After all these years, is he back?_

"Jace?"

"Yeah?"

"Was that really your father? Back at the fights I mean."

He hesitates. "What does it matter?" he replies, a little too harshly.

Then it all clicks.

"He's not is he?" I push.

"Is this really any of your business?"

"Just answer the goddamned question!" I almost scream at him.

He seems to take the hint that I'm not just going to take nothing for an answer.

"No. Okay? No, he's not my real father." He snaps at me. "Now will you just leave it alone, for God's sake?"

He's talking but I can't hear him over the roar in my ears that started when he said that the man at the fights was not his father.

"Oh my God," I whisper, staring at him in a way that would make anyone feel uncomfortable. He shifts in his seat.

"What?" he spits at me.

"It's you, isn't it? It's really you."

"What do you mean 'it's me'?"

"Jace, pull over the car." My tone is deadly serious. "Now."

He senses the tone and pulls over at the next lay-by.

He leans over to me slightly, his elbow resting on the place where the middle of his back is supposed to be.

"What is it?" His tone is gentle. He has no idea what's going on.

"Jace," My voice still holds the deadly seriousness. "Who are your biological parents?" I say, over-enunciating each word.

He frowns. I think he's not going to tell me but he says, "Stephen and Celine Herondale."

I unbuckle my belt and get out of the car as fast as I can. He follows me after a moment of confusion.

I start to pace my side of the car. He leans on his side.

"Clary, what is it? What's going on?"

I can barely hear him.

I stop pacing and look him dead in the eye.

This isn't happening. It can't be happening. It's impossible.

Stephen and Celine's son is long dead.

**AN: Hey guys! Cliff hanger, I know, I'm sorry. But really I'm not. You will find out how everything links together in the next chapter. And I know this is short, but if I put the explanation in this chapter it would be ****_too_**** long. Anyway, thank you for all of the reviews you guys leave, even if there's not that many. I love hearing what you guys think about what I write and I promise I do read every single one. I know every writer on here says it, but they do really mean a lot and I would appreciate it ****_SO _****much if you did leave one. Anyway, this author's note is getting way too long so I will leave you now. Follow, favourite, review if you haven't. How do you think everything will fit together?**

**Au revior for now my munchkins and see you next week (hopefully)!**

**~LauraLightwoodHerondale**


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